"The Small Town Vampire" (closed)

Deleted. Looking for a fresh start.

As a car ascended the hill toward the house, Robert casually moved over to stand in the middle of the driveway. Up this close to the house, a cobblestone driveway had been laid down in a circle around the old fountain -- which was also now working -- to eliminate the dust that had previously been raised by the many vehicles coming to and fro the estate.

The car slowed, then stopped ten feet short of where he stood with a double barreled shotgun casually hanging over one bent elbow, it's breech opened as was proper when not ready to use it. He wasn't carrying the 12 gauge Browning as part of his security of the estate; he had another long gun -- with over-under rifle and shotgun barrels -- for that part of his duties, as well as the old revolver in a holster at the small of his back. Today, Robert had actually been out hunting the horde of wild rabbits that had flourished since the County's misguided encouragement of coyote hunting.

The two young women -- girls almost -- were both wide eyed with surprise, though seemingly for different reasons. The driver was staring at Robert and his weapon; the passenger was staring at the fountain, the house, the recently renovated barn, and more. Robert moved slowly around to the driver's side door, arriving just at the woman there asked if he was the new owner.

"No, I am not," he said with a friendly tone and a smile. "The new owner is not available at the moment, but if you wanted to come back this evening, we usually sit for hot drinks and dessert about 9pm. Or I could put together a dinner if you would like to sit for that."

Deleted. Looking for a fresh start.

Robert watched and listened with interest as the young woman in the passenger side got out and began railing about the sale of the property. He was well aware of the cause of her anguish, of course; he'd played a major role in finding and purchasing the property for his employer, and honestly it didn't surprise him that a Local Yokel would come out to confront them about the sudden and unexpected sale.

But then again, Robert had had no idea that the other interested party was so young, let alone a teenager, which he was yet to learn.

"Who's the owner? When did he buy this? How did he buy this? It wasn't supposed to be on the market! I was going to buy it! I want to talk to this man, this person."

"I'm sorry, Miss, but … I'm not really at liberty to answer your questions," he told her after she'd hesitated long enough for him to even try to respond. "I'm afraid that my employer will have to be the one who--"

He stopped when the passenger suddenly turned and headed up the driveway toward the house. "Miss! My employer is not available at the moment."

The woman continued forward, and Robert called again, "Miss! I really have to ask you..."

But it was obvious that she was going to go right up and knock, or maybe even just barge inside for all Robert knew. He gave her a moment to consider that maybe this was a bad idea, then gave a sharp whistle. From the shadows of the porch of the house, four pit bulls suddenly jumped up and raced out toward the young woman. They covered 150 of the 200 feet between the house and the woman in no time at all, suddenly stopping and taking an on guard when Robert gave them a hand gesture.

"Miss," he said calmly, only now beginning to walk her way. As he neared her, Robert said politely, "I really think the way to go about this would be for you and your friend, or anyone you want to bring with you as far as that goes, out to dine with my employer this evening … nine o'clock. I'm afraid I don't know your name. I'd like to inform him of who will be calling."

Deleted. Looking for a fresh start.

The City of Monroe, for which the County had also been named, didn't offer many social activities on a late summer week night. Unless you were on an adult softball team or the parent of a child playing summer baseball or soccer, there didn't seem to be anything at all, other than going home to watch cable or going down to the river bank to swim or ogle at those doing so.

It was late now, though, nearly 10pm. Kids sports had been over for hours, the adult games had or were wrapping up, and -- with the mosquitoes exploding onto the landscape -- the swimming and ogling had come to an end, too, resulting in folk heading for homes or, in some cases, the backseats of cars with their windows rolled up.

What socializing was still taking place was doing so at the only business still open in town, Peterson Pizza, on Main Street. It wasn't a large place, with only 6 booths and two long tables made of a single chunk of 4 foot wide, 20 foot long Old Growth fir. Every seat in the house was filled, and another 30 or more people were either standing around chatting, waiting at the bar for their orders of pizza or chicken, sodas or beers, or playing video games or pinball in the little walled off arcade section.

Despite this crowding, the stranger entering the bar had no problem finding Justine and Carly, who were sitting opposite one another in a small booth with a pair of young men sitting beside each of them. The four of them were engaged in conversation as the man stepped up close to their booth, smiling politely.

"Hello," he said simply, his gaze set on Justine. One of the young men, in a bit of a challenging tone, asked the man who he was. He more or less ignored the young man, telling Justine, "My name is Richard Thomas. I bought the Cooper Estate."

He was tall, dark, and handsome, like an old 1940's movie star. There was an air of sincere confidence about him. He seemed perfect; too perfect. Beautiful teeth, beautiful hair, beautiful skin … mesmerizing, deep blue eyes.

And he obviously had money. He wore a two thousand dollar, two piece suit, though without the tie as it was, even at this hour, still in the high 80s. His hand stitched leather shoes had cost half that much again. Although only the gold chain leading to it was visible, there was a 450 year old antique pocket watch in his right front pocket that was itself worth three times all the rest of his ensemble. And if at any point it became necessary to pull out his gold money clip, anyone paying attention would see that it was thick with hundred and fifty dollar bills.

He smiled a bit wider to Justine, saying politely, "I heard you eager to speak to me. Is now a good time?"

Deleted. Looking for a fresh start.

Richard watched the interactions between the four young people with interest. The relationships between them were so very different from one another. The couple to his right were obviously lovers; and further, the female was the alpha half of the couple, likely ruling over her lover with the offerings of sex … or lack thereof.

The other couple, though … they weren't a couple. Richard wondered -- correctly, as it was -- if perhaps they'd only recently met. They weren't intimate, he knew that much even as he was still approaching the booth. The male, now gone, was burning up with lust, another thing Richard had so easily noticed as he arrived. Behind him, Richard was sure the eldest of the four was likely already looking for a female who would be more likely to strip bare in the back seat of a car or down on the lake's edge.

The girl who stood was hot to trot, too, Richard could see. One word from him, as she probably would have begun disrobing for him right here in the middle of the crowd. When she asked if Robert was here, Richard smiled and answered softly, "He's outside, watching the car."

When Carly's face lit up with excitement, Richard donned a knowing smile and whispered, "He prefers root beer."

He watched Carly disappear into the crowd, uncertain whether she was heading for the soda dispenser or some other destination, then looked to find Justine inviting him to sit. He did so, and was immediately set upon by the young woman.

"You bought my family home, and I want it. I'll have access to a generous trust fund in a few months. I want it back in the hands of a Cooper."

Richard caught the eye of a young woman clearing the next booth over and gestured her to him. "Could you see your way clear to bringing me a couple of beers, glasses, off the tap is fine?"

"I'm sorry, I'm just bussing tables," she said. She nodded her head toward the crowded ordering bar and added, "You have to order up there."

Richard had expected such a response and had been pulling out his money clip as the young woman spoked. He reached to take her free hand and pressed a fifty dollar bill into it, asking with a hopeful, friendly tone, "Do I?"

The woman eyed the bill hesitantly, but when Richard told her she could keep the change, her eyes widened. She leaned in closer and whispered, "Maybe this one time."

As the woman departed, Richard looked back to Justine and said without hesitation or guilt, "Yes, I bought your family home before you did. And yes, I knew there was a sale pending, an offer on reserve, yours. Though, to be clear, I didn't know who you were at the time. Concerning your desire to return the Cooper Estate to your family, I think something could be arranged."

Richard hesitated for a moment to see and possibly hear Justine's reaction, then continued, "I rarely stay in one place more than a few years. So … you come to work for me for, let's say, five years. And at the end of that period, I will sell the Estate to you for the same price I paid for it."

Deleted. Looking for a fresh start.

"You're kidding, right? Same price? This is a joke, or, you have other, what do they call them, stipulations?"

"The only stipulation is that you perform you duties well," Richard responded. "Shabby work will not be tolerated."

"Do I have to sleep with you?"

Richard chuckled softly, ready to respond. But Justine continued, "If you think I'm gonna be your mistress for five years..."

Richard politely waved her question off.

"Five years, and then the Estate is mine, in exchange for my trust fund."

"Five years," Richard confirmed. "You will receive a salary for your work, and bonuses if the work is above average. You can pocket the money or put it toward the cost of purchasing the Estate, your choice."

"I believe you," Richard said when Justine warned him about her armed admirers. His eyes dropped away from the young woman's face to her shapely body for the very first time, then back up. His smile widened as he asked, "Only a hundred, though?"

The young woman with the beers arrived, but before she set them down, she gave Justine a studious look. It was obvious that Justine was a minor -- hell, it was likely that the two women knew each other closely in a town this size -- and Richard had expected this and was ready. He set another fifty on the table near the woman and suggested, "Thank you for bringing me my two beers."

The woman cocked her head in doubt, then saw the money. She glanced around herself for prying eyes but must not have seen any because she took the bill. She said pointedly to Richard, "Enjoy your two beers, sir."

She looked to her hand, stuffed the bill into her apron's pocket, then said with a suggestive tone, "If you need anything else, I'm on shift until eleven. And … I'm off at eleven-thirty."

She gave him a wider smile before leaving.

Richard took a swig from the tall tankard as he looked into Justine's eyes, then asked, "So, if you're going to be an employee of mine, I should probably interview you. So, tell me something about yourself. And start with your name, of course. I'm assuming Cooper is the surname...?"

Deleted. Looking for a fresh start.

Inside:

"…fucks who he wants … because money will buy anything, right?"

Richard couldn't help but smile a bit at that last bit. Justine wasn't entirely right, but then, she wasn't entirely wrong either. Although he knew the answer, he posed the question, "Will my money buy you?"

He didn't even have to wait for her answer, but he knew what it would be and continued, "Just because I have money, that doesn't make me a bad guy. What if I told you that in addition to investing the Cooper Estate -- because, that's all it is, an investment, not a home for my elderly years -- what if I told you I was looking at a number of investments in Monroe, opportunities to make myself some money but more importantly … improved the well being and future of the town."

He hesitated a moment, then quickly clarified, "Miss Cooper, I'm not a Reconstructionist Era carpetbagger, come to little ol', backwater, Monroe County to make my fortune taking advantage of the common folk, then run away with my bags full of coin. I am sincere when I say that I would like to do some good in your home town. But, to do so, I need to have someone close to me who knows the town, knows the people, knows the needs of both, and cares even more than I do about what I'm attempting to do."

Richard hesitated just a moment more, then asked, "Are you that person?"

Outside:

As Carly had expected, Robert had spotted and been watching Carly since she'd exited the pizza parlor. He didn't immediately know it was her; at first it just seemed as though another of many patrons was heading home for the night.

But as soon as she stepped out into the street and aimed herself toward him, Robert recognized the young woman's form. Oh, that delicious form.

"Evening, Robert," Carly said with a flirtatious tone.

He smiled widely and tipped his hat to her. "Evening, Miss … I'm sorry, I'm afraid I didn't catch your name at our last encounter."

She told him, then peppered him with all sorts of elevator talk questions, which he answered politely and sometimes playfully: I'm out here alone because the moon is beautiful, don't you think? and Yes it's a touch warm, but I'm very comfortable and other such responses.

"Nice … car!

"Thank you," Robert replied as he watched Carly press her face to the tinted glass. Well, watch Carly's ass as she leaned forward, pressing it out behind her for his entertainment. "It's very comfortable, and it handles like a dream. It's not mine, in case you were wondering. It belongs to my employer. I only drive it."

"Interested in showing me the interior?" Carly asked as Robert pushed away from leaning on the front quarter panel and made his way slowly toward her. "Maybe, start with the back seat. Looks roomy."

"It is," he said with a flirtatious tone similar to her own, before adding, "And no, sorry … I'm not interested in showing it to you."

Robert laughed at Carly's reaction, explaining, "I don't mean to be rude, Miss Carly, but I'm on the job, and my employer has rules about what I do while I'm working … and rules about who may enter his car."

By now, Robert had worked his way around Carly such that he could look at her and at the same time glance in the direction of the pizza parlor, looking for Richard. Looking into her eyes -- with a quick but not entirely inconspicuous peek at her generous bosom -- Robert told Carly with a suggestive tone, "However … I have a few hours off tomorrow … midday, from 10am to 4pm. If you were interested in getting together for brunch, I could show you my transportation."

Deleted. Looking for a fresh start.